TNAG-2063-FCO40-2941-Vietnamese-boat-people-repatriation-1990 — Page 116

President Bush

I am writing to you again on the difficult problem of the Vietnamese boat people. I understand that you have replied to Thorvald Stoltenbery's appeal to you after the January meeting of the Steering Committee, and that the position of the United States Government remains unchanged.

I believe it is your view that if sufficient resources and time were to be devoted to the programme of voluntary return, a flow of people to Vietnam could be achieved which would, eventually, solve the problem, rendering a programme of mandatory repatriation

unnecessary.

in

As you know, we do not agree with this, and we base our view on our practical experience in Hong Kong. We now have a number of thousand people who have been determined by the screening process not to be refugees, some as long as seven months ago, and who, the words of the Comprehensive Plan of Action, "should return to their country of origin". Of these, the number who have volunteered can be counted in tens. Our experience already is that no amount of counselling or persuasion is going to make the majority volunteer, and so we need urgently to have the means to implement the course of action that we all endorsed last June.

Nevertheless, in order to achieve a

in order to achieve a consensus in Geneva last month, we made important concessions which I think perhaps that you have undervalued. The Steering Committee document which we were prepared to accept took full account of the view of your administration, and before finally dismissing it I would ask you to

In summary, study what it would mean, in effect, if implemented. were prepared to increase our concerted and systematic efforts in support of the voluntary programme, and to give priority to returning volunteers before others.

we

If the United States' view were

correct, then we would have our hands full returning volunteers and there would indeed be no need for a progra me of mandatory repatriation. The moratorium date, whenever set, would become largely irrelevant.

SIDAAG